The Glint's Shine
by Frosvernian
Summary: Follow our hero as he pilots one of mans greatest creations. Can he live up to the machines legends and can he live up to everyone's expectations? RnRs welcome.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

For generations mankind has had an unquenchable obsession with power. Some pursuing it with trust and morality others with deception and betrayal. While all thirst for that power most cannot find what is needed to lead another to their desires or to their destruction.

Many with such dreams would settle for less than what they truly vied for. However even in this impossible war torn world there were some who paved the way and set an example to what was needed to reach a level of greatness.

At first war was fought with flesh and blood, human beings would put themselves in the line of fire for those who needed protection. Those times were soon forgotten however as flesh turned to metal and blood turned to oil. As new war machines were developed they eventually evolved into what we now call NEXTs.

One man who had the skills and the NEXT most would sacrifice anything for set the bar as a great pilot who had achieved what so many had died for.

This Armored Core was easily recognizable by the Legends that flowed from pilots who witnessed its elegance in battle to the children of the next generation. It's color was that of purity and even when things seemed dark it would shine a glint of hope toward the battle when all seemed loss. All would be left in awe as quickly as it appeared and than disappeared.

The man had everything he needed, power, respect, and money. But mankind has a nasty habit of making others lives miserable. He had given up his Armored Core for a different sort to protect those he held dearly. A devil's Armored Core, one that none have seen before and something man should have never created. It's name was Aretha a new prototype NEXT that the man was forced to pilot.

Thankfully a courageous soul put an end to the demon before it could cause any serious harm to the planet. This heroes name is unknown even to this day and disappeared into history as soon as he put an end to the demon NEXT. This hero went by the alias Raven, it is said he went into hiding to try and live out the rest of his life peacefully.

What ever happened to the white Armored Core the man was forced to abandon is unknown.

What sort of battles did it see during it's disappearance is unknown.

How it _evolved _from what it was into what it is now is unknown.

That is a story for another time.

**(WHICH IS NOOOOOOW!)**


	2. Chapter 1

(Okay so some things in this fic might not make sense to some of you but there's a logical answer for that. This takes place between Armored Core 4 and Armored Core for Answer. Now while I've played Armored Core 4, I've never played For Answer.(yet~) Now some of you may be thinking 'OMGWAT HE HASNT PLAYED FOR FOR ANSWER? WHAT IS HE THINKING WRITING A FANFIC RIGHT BEFORE IT! my simple answer is as this is a bunch of OC's that I've made up from scratch I don't want to have to tie things with For Answer. Though I admit I did some research on a certain NEXT and his awesome new appearance, which I'm not telling yet if I'm using it or the older version so you're gonna have to read more chapters to find out ;D, and who in my opinion is the real pilot. An even simpler reason is I'm just to darn lazy to pick up a copy of For Answer and play it through.

**Begin The Burdening**

**~Frieas Train~**

By the time I had finished the repairs on my AC there was another job waiting for me and the others.

It seemed it would be another sleepless night spent working for a corporation, another night I would have to survive through.

I was never one to complain about my duties though even if they interfered with my personal life.

Such was the life as a mercenary, a gun for hire or in this case a NEXT for hire.

"I know it's late you guys, but we're strapped for cash, so please bare with me on this one." a tired albeit grumpy woman pleaded as she rubbed her temples. Her name was Tracey, she was a bit older than me but she still had a beautiful. body.

"And what might you be gawking at Kyle? You could be checking on your NEXT instead of day dreaming about me!" her sudden harsh voice made me flinch.

Did I forget to mention she owned the train we lived on and she took care of all the work needed for us to work for all the corporations? Yeah, that pretty much makes her the boss of us which means if you get on her bad side she'll give you hell.

I regained what little composure I could salvage as a very vulgar image popped into my mind.

"You shouldn't tease the boy Trace, you might give him ideas!" came a rugged shout from the dark hallway. In walked the most burliest guy you've ever seen. A scar on his lip, a beard covering his whole chin, and a mean looking grin.

I pocketed my hands to try and look casual as he lumbered into the room with nothing but a towel around his waist. "Like what you see Trace?" he said showing off his abs.

This hot shot's name was Robert, but everyone called him Bobby instead. He's been here the longest and I've always looked up to him as a father simply because he gave off that macho man vibe.

Tracey put her hands over her head and closed her eyes "I don't think so Bob, I've seen the rest of you and all I can say is I'm not impressed." she told him mockingly.

I couldn't help but snicker, Bobby frowned and turned around walking back into the hallway.

As soon as he left I looked back to Tracey who had moved closer so she was right in front of me.

"So, who's the mi..." but before I could finish she shushed me.

"The job's from Technocrat. They're complaining about some other corporations Normals in their area. We don't know who they belong to and they could be just a bunch of rebels, but they refuse to relocate so that's where we come in." Tracey said turning back to her work.

How strange, this might be the first time I've ever had to do a job for Technocrat. And normals? Shouldn't they be able to take care of that themselves? There must be something more to this than a simple band of rebels.

I looked around the bridge at the holographic map to the windows that gave a off a blue light as Tracey read over some paperwork.

"Something wrong?" she asked not looking up from the papers.

I crossed my arms as I began to speak " Just where is Mel and Al-."

"Unlike you Kyle they're probably already in their NEXTs ready to begin the mission!" Tracey said furiously at the way I stood there like a moron.

Why she had to be so hard to deal with was beyond me. As I turned around I walked toward the hangar humming a tune that was off key and would make a bird fall dead from it's perch.

"Hey little man!" I heard someone yell as I stopped humming my tune with a low pheeeew noise.

Bobby walked up to me dressed in cargo pants and a black T shirt stained with oil. "You better get to the hangar now if you want to avoid extra cleaning duties this week." he said as he stepped towards me. "Let's hurry up and go little man! We don't want to keep little Allissa and your girlfriend waiting!" he said teasingly as he began walking down the hall to the hangar.

Yeah he calls me little man... why he thought I'd ever like that name confuses me. Was he trying to piss me off constantly? Or was he just stupid. Either case we had work to do and keeping the girls waiting wasn't the polite thing to do. I sprinted to catch up to him and walked at pace with him.

"You know I hate that name right?" I said looking at him from one eye.

"No idea what you're talking about Kyle, maybe you hit your head harder than I thought. That Tracey punches pretty hard when you're a pervert." he said looking at me as he scratched his beard.

I swear I would of broke his legs right there if I didn't know he was kidding, or maybe he wasn't either way... Nevermind.

We began jogging to the hangar bay trying to get there faster. Me and Bobby were highly athletic because of the training we usually did to keep up with our NEXTs and the fact that when Tracey had too much to drink she got aggressive in which I'd end up scared shit less and run away from her flailing fists of fury and drunken antics.

That's what you get for living here on the Freias.

That's what you get for hanging out with Bobby, Tracey ,Mel And Alissa.

That's what you get for being the pilot of the legendary _White Glint._

_(Awesome the first real chapter of my fanfic is a go and is ready to launch! I honestly could of kept writing on in on, but I'd like to take it slow at first to improve my writing skills as I go and also to think more about the story itself. Also 2 points to all you who new exactly who I was talking about by just reading the prologue b^.^d. I thought about using another NEXT like Supplice, Barbaroi, and even Noblesse Oblige, but White Glint was just too awesome to pass up. Oh I even considered using a custom built AC but that would make people confused thinking exactly what it looks like and give people head aches and make their heads explode!)  
_


	3. Chapter 2

(You know I had a fun time retyping this and I have to say it came out better than the first time. Sorry for the long wait but here it is chapter 2!)

**Ready Set Go!**

**~Freias Hangar~**

Right when me and Bobby ran through the doorway we both skidded to a stop. I was feeling really fatigued and Bobby even though he still had his cheery smile looked haggard and worn out. I had gone without sleep for at least 3 nights and I couldn't imagine how many Bobby had gone through with no rest. Unlike me Bobby was our leader and undoubtedly our most seasoned pilot, he did a lot of solo work to insure that we had food to eat which I must admit is admirable but soon it's gonna kill him. And I'm not talking about a peaceful death I'm talking about an agonizing one where his body completely collapses on itself.

"Whew, nothing like a good run after a shower to get the blood flowing." Bobby said wholeheartedly as he patted his chest.

Recovering from the run I put my hands on my knees and bent over slightly. "You could of fooled me, you looked pretty worn out just a second ago." I mocked as he looked at me still smiling.

"Now, I don't know what could of given you such an idea like that." He said ruffling my hair. "You know I never get tired since I'm just plain amazing!" He shouted making a joke but more importantly trying to get the others attention.

I looked back toward the hangar, even though we had 4 NEXTs loaded in here there was still a lot of room left over. Enough room that Bobby brought it upon himself to make his own relaxation areas right next to his AC. It wasn't something you expected a leader of any group to think was relaxing. All it was was a little kiddie pool, with a parasol hanging over it, and a beat up 90's radio that was scratchy no matter how clear the signal was.

"Good to see you again Kyle." A sweet tender voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to lay my eyes on, in my eyes the most beautiful girl ever.

"Yeah...uh it's p-pretty nice to see you again." I threw the words up like a babbling idiot.

Ahh Mel, perhaps the most amazing girl in my life. Such a soft yet mature face that would make any man swoon. Her abnormal green hair and her alluring yellow eyes...The first time I saw Mel I instantly felt the childish crush that I used to feel at a much younger age. She was just so perfect... Anytime she was near me I'd get nervous and even now I still shudder and feel helpless anytime she's near me. I cannot understand how someone could be so beautiful and compassionate in this war torn world.

How was she so compassionate you may be wondering well... she always helps Tracey cook for everyone and trust me you do NOT want to have Tracey cooking a meal by herself because trust me you won't be leaving the bathroom for a few days. She also helps Bobby after his missions, usually he gets a little beat up and scratched here and there, Mel patches him up to the best of her abilities.

And well...there was this one time where I caught a cold and instead of taking a sick day I toughed it out and went on the mission with the rest of the team. Pride has a way of choking you out than throwing you to the wind if you use it as an excuse to keep going when you need to stop and take note of your condition. The cold got worse and the morning after I was completely worn out, the way I'm feeling now is nothing to what I felt that day. Mel stayed with me the whole day taking care of me. She brought me soup to help me feel better, though it sounds a little foolish she even read me a story. It was a kids book but her presence and knowing that she was concerned about my health was good enough for me. But when the day was done and I was tired because the cold had taken most of my energy to get out of my system Mel surprised me by climbing into bed with me and cuddling up to me under the sheets. It was like a dream come true to me, I'm a little shamed to say it but I enjoyed it and embraced her enjoying the warmth of her body that night. OF COURSE I didn't do anything more than that! Seriously I would never take advantage of someone who took time out of their day to take care of me! Especially Mel...

Ever since that incident Bobby and Tracey have always teased me about me and Mel being boyfriend and girlfriend. We aren't really like that though... I wish we were, however I have no clue how she feels about me so I can't presume we are you know...uh _lovers_.

"HEYYY KYLE!" I hear a squeal of joy tear though the hangar. Looking over my shoulder just in time to see a small bundle of joy hop onto my back."Kyle." She said sweetly as she nudged my back with her nose.

"Come on Allissa you don't have to overreact like this every time we're near each other." I got out as she attacked my back with her cute little nose.

Allissa the definition of cute and innocent, she could warm the heart of the most blood thirsty man. Her long brown hair and innocent yellow eyes just make your heart melt with flowers and butterflies, if that makes any sense at all. She joined about half a year after I joined the Mercenaries of Freias, for her young age Allissa is surprisingly capable of taking care of herself on and off the battlefield.

There is one notable thing that anybody who has a very good memory on people can notice. Allissa without a doubt, no matter how you see her, looks like me and Mel's daughter. I KID YOU NOT she is the spitting image of me and Mel.

The similarites are mind boggling. You can see that her eyes are yellow and yet very kind and pure like Mel's. Her facial structure while holding some of Mel's traits has a distinct look when she pouts that looks like me on a bad day. Her brown wavy hair that goes down her back is brown like mine and from the back looks like Mel's hair but from the front, you can see her bangs come down and form out just like mine do.

Freaky?

I know.

Do I care?

Hell no!

While Allissa may not be my daughter I treat her like she might as will be, and from what I've seen Mel does also. Anytime the boogie man tries to scare her at night I'll be there telling her that he won't get her as long as I'm around and that the boogie man himself is afraid of the big bad Bobby creeping around just to make her giggle. Mel takes on the motherly act of helping her get ready in the mornings and even going as far to give her a kiss on the cheek to reassure her that every thing is fine. I'm also pretty sure she has had 'The Talk' with her by noting how sheepish she was around me for a few days. I may be her fatherly figure but one could say I'm pretty dreamy, maybe not as cut out of marble as Bobby but still I'd say I'm a bit above the average for my age.

"I'm sorry Kyle, Hi Mel!" She squealed the last part as she waved to Mel who in return gave a slight wave of her hand while smiling.

While this was going on I failed to notice our fearless leader had made his way over to his NEXT and sat down in the pilot's seat."Come on! Gear up and let's get out there!" He yelled with vicious authority in his tone. We knew this is when we should cut the chit chat and get into our NEXTs. Whenever Bobby stopped using his relaxed somewhat goofy voice and started taking things seriously that meant play time was over and it was time to go to work.

Mel turned around and walked to her NEXT immediately while Allissa turned around and waved to me as she ran over to hers. I turned to mine only to stare at it like so many times before.

White Glint, said to have surpassed many and helped few, yes it was a tool for war and war usually led to these things. I had heard legends about this machine and they did surprise me at first but after realizing how fast and agile it was I could see why these legends were in abundance. It truly was the legend everyone made it out to be, but unlike the people who spread these rumors they weren't the ones piloting it.

The first time I piloted Glint is when I was first given it in my hometown. It's a really weird story. lets just say some bad guys were chasing a transport vehicle and it fell out the back all nice and gift wrapped with a bow on top.

As I sat down in the piloting seat I looked over to Bobby. He always was more cool headed about these missions. His NEXT the Gundalium was a heavy weight highly effective assault NEXT. It was green and had black blots on it like someone shot it up with paint rounds. On the shoulder you could see a faded flag from one of the countries before the war and everything was divided into the companies. I really didn't pay attention in history class because to me all that didn't matter anymore. The development of the machines we pilot now changed the history we know. All this war has left most landmarks from our past in ruins and people feel less inclined to listen to some grown man or woman go on in on about how great our country was.

Me, I just worry about surviving.

I flipped the switch to shut Glint's hatch and I became shrouded in darkness. I eased my hands onto the controls and just like that the cockpit of White Glint came alive with light. I ran my own little Maintenance check, looking at the ammo count for the rifle I carried in Glint's left hand and the locks I had installed. Yeah locks as in training wheels. Even 4 years of piloting White Glint I'm still afraid at how fast it can go. The first time I tried piloting it I ran it straight into a mountain. The other lock is for the high impact energy efficient energy rifle that came with Glint. The MR-R102, fired it once and blew a hole the size of kingdom come in the Freias. Ohhhhhh was Tracey PISSED!

A message appeared on my screen as a bleep bloop got my attention.

"The mission is as follows, two enemy groups comprised of low quality and energy resistant Normals are on the outskirts of Technocrat territory. You are to eliminate these groups with what ever force is necessary." The message cut out and ended.

"Short and sweet just how I like em" Tracey said over the comm. "Now we have scan reports on the group to the south, mostly low quality Normals and maybe a few energy efficient ones. Now to the eastern border our scans show a lot of energy efficient models and really what else could stand it over there." She said with a laugh at the end.

"Ummm?" Allissa chimed in over the comm as she touched her lip with her thumb.

"It means the place is crawling with Kojima particles Ali." I answered her question before she stated it.

"Right Kyle so it's imperative you keep your primal armor up when your in that area." Tracey said as she leaned back in her chair. Or it's lights out and most likely death Tracey grimly thought.

"Alright we'll decide how we're going to split up when we get out onto the field."Bobby said as he moved his NEXT out of it's station.

I turned Glint's head around to look at Allissa and Mel's NEXTs. Mel's was the Akavar a mid weight model which was highly maneuverable and stood out with it's white and blue color. Allissa's was a bright yellow but toned down with a very deep maroon which while made it look girly made it harder to spot in a desert or mountain area.

I stepped out of my station and walked over to the side of the Freias hangar.

Time to go to work.

(Alright looks like Kyle and the others are heading out and you'll see just how they work on the battlefield! I know I gave a vague description of every ones NEXTs and didn't even mention anything about Glint's design, well you pretty much know what he looks like if you google it or have played either of the two games. I really don't see the point in going into full detail about all the NEXTs since you know people do change out parts and equipment. You'll just have to keep reading to know what weapons everyone is using! ^.^)


	4. Chapter 3

(Here I arise from death, hoping that my skin is not rotted!)

**Hit With The F Bomb**

**~City Outskirts~**

Four clouds of dust blasted across a desert as they left trails in the sand. A desolate city was on the horizon with the sun setting behind it.

The Gundalium, Akavar, Shpona, and White Glint were approaching their destinations. The ruined city becoming clear as it came into view.

I leaned back in my seat as I kept Glint moving along beside the others.

Man was I tired, if I had had time back at the Freias I would have grabbed some coffee or something.

My eyes drooped as my fellow mercs conversed.

"Did you really go into space before?" Allissa asked Bobby as Mel showed interest.

"Yeah, I took part in a space operation for Omer back in the day."

Omer... I don't know why but that corporation always didn't sit right with me. Such shady business, then again what corporation doesn't have skeletons in it's closet. However my reasons run deeper than that for why I dislike Omer. They were the guys chasing after the transport that had White Glint on it after all.

"So Mel how many normals have you downed?" Bobby asked Mel who hesitated to reply.

"Well.. I really don't keep count, but if I had to guess maybe two hundred."

"Wow Mel! You are really strong!" Allissa praised enthusiastically. "What about you Kyle?"

Continuing to let my eyes sag I didn't answer and instead let out a loud snore which in turn made Allissa and Mel giggle. Bobby was silent however and it was obvious to me why.

He was most likely recalling a conversation I had with him sometime ago.

**~Freias Hangar/ Robert's Slice of Paradise~**

**(Sometime Ago)**

Bobby sat in his kiddy pool with a bottle of soda in his hand. He nodded his head with the crackling beat of his beat up boom box.

Stifling a yawn of boredom Kyle entered wearing a pair of shorts with a towel around his neck. His hair was wet and he wiped away remaining droplets of water.

"Yo, Kyle!" Bobby greeted with a wave before going back to nodding.

Smiling and giving a nod Kyle walked over to Bobby's relaxation area and sat down by the kiddy pool.

"Somethin' on your mind brah?" Bobby jokingly imitated a Hawaiian accent.

Kyle gave a quick laugh and nodded once more.

"Yes boss."

"Kowabonga dude." The relaxed man gave a peace sign.

Bobby then got serious and sat up in the kiddy pool.

"A few things before I hear you out." He said as he gave Kyle an expression that demanded utmost attention. "One, don't call me boss, Tracey is the only one around here cruel enough to demand that title." He said mentioning the woman's name with disdain. "Two, I'm the only one allowed to show off their muscles around here." He warned playfully.

"Got it bos- I mean Bobby." Kyle replied nodding once again to show he understood the roguish man.

Bobby gave a smile before motioning for Kyle to talk. Kyle stayed silent for awhile and was glad the elder man let him take his time. What he was about to say was weird to him.

"Have you ever had that feeling... when you know.. kill another pilot." Bobby looked confused at Kyle's statement.

"You know... like you're..."

"The boss? Numero uno? The best of the best? Better than se-"

"YEAH! That feeling!" Kyle quickly cut him off while going slightly red in the face.

Leaning back once more Bobby took a sip of his soda. Several long minutes passed as each of the men could hear the noises on the Freias.

The random sound of clanking, probably Tracey looking through tools. The songs that Allissa hummed in her sing song voice, and Mel cleaning Allissa's room.

"You know Kyle. I have felt that feeling, but probably not like you do. You see your a special case. And what I mean by that is your the only one who can pilot White Glint. So just think of these feelings as your warrior instinct and use them to protect the things you cherish." The usually silly man said knowledgeably, like he had some sort of experience.

At these few words Kyle felt more than reassured and that sick feeling died down quite a bit. Bobby truly was his father figure, at first he liked how tough the man was. But now he realized there was more to him than met the eye.

"I'll take what you said to heart, but on one condition." Kyle gave the bearded man a similar look to the one he gave him when he was serious.

"And that would be?"

"Try getting along better with Tracey, I don't know what happened and it's none of my business, but she deserves more respect. You know?" Kyle said keeping up his serous appearance.

Bobby's eyebrows dropped as he gave the younger boy a look that said 'you insolent little shit'. Soon though, his lips turned to a smile and he reached out to shake Kyle's hand.

"You got it."

"Little man."

**~Current~**

"Enemy Normals incoming!" The information snapping me out of my stupor.

"PAs on now! Take evasive action!" I hear Bobby order over the comm.

Immediately I switch my Primal Armor on and with a crack it comes to life. Gripping Glint's controls I veer to the right just barely dodging a barrage of bullets and beams of energy. Now was the time to act and soon I was speeding up my White NEXT to try and overtake the enemy.

Mel and Allissa quickly switched to their back mounted rockets and fired into the oncoming crowd made of mixed Normals. They attempted to dodge but some were struck head on with the rockets and ignited into explosions that chained together.

"Woah! Now that's what I'm talking about girls!" Tracey cheered over the comm.

"Yay! Girl power!. Allissa squealed while pumping her NEXT's arm in the air.

Those two were on a whole other level when it came to teamwork. It was like they possessed telepathy and could coordinate almost perfectly. Not even Bobby and I could work together like that! We usually did our own things when it came to the battlefield and we were pretty dang close to understanding how one another felt most of the time. Maybe those two always knew what the other was thinking or maybe they could read minds! Oh boy... If Mel could read minds...

I stopped thinking about it and focused on the battle at hand.

My increase in speed brought me close to the remaining Normals which led me to using the energy blade on my arm. I swiftly severed the Normals torsos from their legs effectively neutralizing them.

Okay, I don't like to kill others! So what? That doesn't make me any less of a man! Or that's at least what Bobby told me...

"Mel, Allissa! Go after the regular Normals! Kyle your with me!" Bobby ordered.

Yes, it would make sense to continue to push the assault since the enemy probably was now well aware of our intentions.

Bobby and I swiftly took off for the Kojima particle infested part of the city while Mel and Allissa took off to their respective destination.

I also realized why Bobby was so quick to decide. Call it chivalry if you like, but having one of the girls dieing painfully due to Kojima exposure didn't sit right with me and most likely not with him either. We were gonna hit ground zero and we were gonna hit it with everything we had.

_(F Bomb= Friendship Bomb lol)_


End file.
